The Last of the Jedi
by LawrenceDaddarioWatsonStewart
Summary: There are only a few other Jedi who are now considered canon that survived Order 66. I decided to tell their stories, along with Obi-Wan and Yoda. However, I did take some license with them, so that continuity does not always match up with books and Star Wars Rebels. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: Survivors Run

**Chapter 1: Survivors Run**

Jedi Padawan Caleb Dume and his Master, Depa Billaba, hacked their way through the droid army on Kaller. The Jedi's clone allies were close behind.

Depa spun horizontally through the air, twirling her blue blade into several droids, slicing them to pieces. Caleb was more systematic, hacking off limbs and blocking blaster fire one droid at a time, two at most.

The Republic group quickly took a small clearing, which they paused in to rest. But not for long. More droids soon appeared.

Unbeknownst to either Jedi warrior, their clone commander received a communique on his hologram comlink. It was the Chancellor.

"Execute Order 66."

"It shall be done, my Lord." As soon as the order was given, the inhibitor chips in the clones were activated. They began to surround their Jedi leaders.

Depa sensed what was happening through the Force. "Caleb," she said slowly. "I want you to find an opening and run. I'll be right behind you. Do you understand?"

"You're lying, Master!" Caleb perceived.

"Do as I say, my young Padawan! I will follow!"

The clones opened fire. As Depa blocked their shots and shielded Caleb, the boy of 14 ran. Master bought apprentice just enough time for him to disappear into the forest before succumbing to the blaster shots.

* * *

When his Master did not find him by the time night fell hours later, Caleb knew she was dead. Reaching out through the Force only confirmed this.

The boy soon found a tree with gnarled roots, creating a burrow big enough to crawl into and hide. Shrinking back into the shadow, Caleb stayed awake, fearing that if he slept, he would be discovered. Indeed, clones passed so close to his hiding spot at one point, he could hear their voices:

"What of the Jedi Padawan?"

"Even if he ran, he couldn't survive in the woods this long with no food. He's dead!"

Caleb evaded the troopers all through the night and into the next morning. Using the limited tracking skills he had learned, and with the help of the Force, he managed to retrace his steps in a wide arc, back the way he and his Master had come. At last, from a plateau outcropping, he spotted the transport bay leading off the planet. All he had to do was stow away on a ship...

Igniting his lightsaber a fraction, Caleb hacked off his Padawan braid. It would only serve as a dead giveaway. The boy then scaled down to the transport docks and attempted to blend in with the crowd. Now: which would be a good ship to sneak onto? Or bluff his way onto?

Suddenly, he felt a hand clamp over his mouth. He let out muffled cries and struggled as someone pulled him into an alleyway.

"Caleb? Caleb Dume? Pull yourself together!"

The youth felt himself being released, and he spun about to see that his abducter was -

"Master Luminara Unduli! Boy, am I glad to see you!"

"And you as well, young one. I felt a disturbance in the Force. My apprentice - your Master - she's dead, isn't she?"

Caleb hung his head heavily. "Yes. She sacrificed herself for me, so that I could get away."

Luminara sighed heavily. "The Force is telling me that our kind are dying. We Jedi are wanted criminals. We have to get off planet - but in order to do that, I need you to stay calm and do exactly. as. I say."

Pretending to be a teen clutching at his mother, Luminara led Caleb to a ship. Without even moving her hand, she used to Force to Jedi mind trick the guards and bluff their way on board. Finding an empty compartment, the Jedi went inside and sealed off their chamber.

Luminara then unclipped her com link as she felt a hologram message coming in.

"This is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. Are there any surviving Jedi out there? Anyone?"

* * *

Later, and miles away on the planet Raada, former Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano wiped sweat off her brow as she worked to repair a speeder bike. Being a mechanic helped pay the bills, but she missed her life as a Jedi. She was desiring to get back into action!

The Clone Wars were coming to an end, if they weren't over already. Raada was one of the last Separatist holdouts, and fighting here had been intense over the last several weeks.

Indeed, shouts and screams and blaster fire could suddenly be heard. Peering out of her shop, Ahsoka watched as a Jedi wielding a blue lightsaber cut down Separatist rebels with the assistance of his Stormtroopers.

Suddenly, one clone received a blue hologram transmission. In the next instant, Ahsoka watched in horror as the clones gunned down their Jedi general.

"NOOOO!"

The clones turned at Ahsoka's scream. Though she was no longer a part of the Order, one of the clones recognized her. "There's another one!"

Ahsoka ducked blaster fire back into her shop. She dug frantically for the lightsabers Anakin had left her with. There they were!

As soon as the clones burst into the shop, Ahsoka ambushed them, killing every last one. Pulling on a dense and hooded coat, she slipped out of her shop and passed the body of her fallen Jedi comrade. She did not recognize him from his face, but she did pocket his lightsaber.

The former Padawan wandered Raada in a daze. She could feel shockwaves rippling through the Force. Jedi are dying.

Ahsoka quickly hurried to the transport hangar, in the hopes of getting off the moon as quickly as possible. Once the body of her fellow Jedi and the bodies of the clones, the hunt would be on for the other who remained. Buying a small starfighter for a bargain on credits, Ahsoka took off from the moon. Her ship was not like the Jedi fighter she was used to, but it would have to do.

Grabbing her com link, Ahsoka contacted the first Jedi she could think. "Master Kenobi. This is former Padawn Ahsoka Tano. Are you there? Do you copy?"

For a moment, crackling. Then:

"Ahsoka? You're alive!" Obi-Wan sounded exhausted.

"Yes! Where are you?"

"I am en route to the asteroid Polis Massa. Lock onto my coordinates."


	2. Chapter 2: Jedi Summit

**Chapter 2: Jedi Summit**

When Ahsoka landed on the medical asteroid, she was greeted by Luminara Unduli. The two females each other a big hug.

"You made it!"

Ahsoka grimaced. "Barely." She turned to the Padawan boy. He looked only a few years younger than her, maybe fourteen.

Luminara smiled. "Ahsoka Tano, meet Caleb Dume." The Padawans shook hands.

Walking into the medical center, Ahsoka was overjoyed to see Obi-Wan Kenobi, as well as Grand Master Yoda. Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan was also present.

Obi-Wan hugged Ahsoka.

"Padawan Tano. Dark times, are these," Yoda spoke gravely.

"Why are we here? What's wrong? Other than the obvious," Ahsoka inquired.

Obi-Wan led the group to a hospital ward. There, the five Jedi and Organa beheld a beautiful woman clothed in white. But not the white worn by a bride. The hospital white worn by a patient and even a corpse.

Ahsoka gasped. "Senator Amidala..." The young woman looked peaceful and broken all at once. But that was not the only shock, as medical droids soon went to work, delivering babies. Twin babies. The droids insisted that the Jedi join them; only Obi-Wan and Ahsoka agreed. The Jedi Master held her hand; the Padawan sat on the edge of the bed.

One by one, the babies were delivered. A conscious Padme drew just enough breath to name them Luke and Leia.

"The Skywalker children must be kept alive," Yoda ordered through the intercom.

Skywalker... Ahsoka could hardly believe her ears. These were Anakin's children, and he had kept this from her. She turned to Obi-Wan.

"Master... where is Anakin?"

Obi-Wan did not speak for a moment. Finally, he said, "He's dead."

Ahsoka clutched at her heart. Her former Master... arguably one of the greatest Jedi ever... had fallen to the Purge. For that was what this was. A Jedi Purge.

Padme was struggling to hang on, and she did not register Obi-Wan's words. But she was struggling to say his name... "Obi-Wan... Obi-Wan..."

Obi-Wan ordered Ahsoka out of the room. The Padawan could not hear what was said through the glass, but she did watch as Padme slowly passed away. Kenobi finally departed the ward. Hanging his head, Yoda directed everyone into a conference room beyond.

* * *

It was quite a motley crew that sat around that conference table. Young Caleb Dume fidgeted in his seat, unsure whether he should be there at all. Ahsoka gave him a sympathetic look, sensing his restlessness. Luminara, Obi-Wan and Yoda were all pensive, but serious. Senator Organa was off the one side; he too was questioning his belonging to this historic gathering. For all the Senator knew, he was watching a summit held by the last living Jedi in the galaxy.

"Her true cause of death, no one can know," Yoda surmised. "Pregnant, she must still appear. Hidden, safe, the children must be kept."

It was at this point that the Senator decided to speak up. "My wife and I will take the girl. We've always talked of adopting a baby girl. She will be loved with us."

 _Hidden in plain sight_ , Obi-Wan approved, tugging at his mustache. "And what of the boy?"

Yoda swiveled in his chair. "To Tatooine. To his family, send him."

Obi-Wan nodded. "I will take the child and watch over him." He knew some of Tatooine's harsh terrain from the time he met the young boy Anakin. There were worse planets on which to go into exile.

"To the Dagobah system, I will go," Yoda mused. "Called there by the will of the Force, I am." He faced the other Jedi. "Master Unduli: Go, where will you? Your Padawan's fate, what is?"

Luminara smiled tenderly at Caleb. "He is my apprentice from now on. He will go with me - to Stygeon Prime. My old apprentice - his Master, Depa... it's what she would have wanted."

The boy spoke up. "I want to change my name. I think it will help us to hide. I now will be known as Kanan Jarrus."

Yoda nodded in approval. "Welcome you, Kanan Jarrus, the Jedi Order does." Everyone rose to leave. "Until the time is right, disappear, we will."

As the group filed out, Obi-Wan took Ahsoka aside. "Do you know where you will go?"

"I'm not sure," she sighed. "If I go back to the moon of Raada, there will be a bounty on my head. I can't go the way I came."

"In that case, I have something to offer you, my old Padawan's young apprentice."

"What's that?"

Obi-Wan stared at her solemnly. "A job."

* * *

The Jedi and Bail Organa all boarded a Republic freighter trusted by the droids on Polis Massa. Out in deep space, four escape pods were suddenly flung in four separate directions. One contained Grand Jedi Master Yoda on a trajectory for Dagobah. The second contained Jedi Master Luminara Unduli and Jedi Padawan Kanan Jarrus on course for Stygeon Prime. The third blasted Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and a wailing infant boy towards Tatooine. And the fourth gave Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano, Senator Bail Organa and a baby girl safe passage to Alderaan.


	3. Chapter 3: Exile - Tatooine

**Chapter 3: Exile - Tatooine**

Upon crash-landing on the desert planet, Obi-Wan Kenobi traded the space pod as spare parts in the city of Mos Eisley. In exchange, he received an eopie on which to begin his trek to the Lars family homestead.

He arrived just after sunset. Beru Lars greeted at the door of their hovel. Passing her nephew off to her, Obi-Wan did not say much, only that the boy's mother and father were both dead. After watching Owen Lars, Anakin's stepbrother, get acquainted with the baby, Obi-Wan boarded his eopie, and set off into the desert dusk.

* * *

The exiled Jedi wandered for days, along cliffs and dunes. All the while, he kept a data pad of the planet's readouts in his grasp at all times, to know where the hell he was going. After a while, the terrain began to all look the same.

And the sand. Oh, the sand! It was everywhere. It appeared in his bed, in his clothes, in his hair. Nothing but sand, sand, sand. Anakin had always hated sand. Now Obi-Wan knew why.

At last, he reached the edge of something that was known as the Dune Sea. Specifically, the Jundland Wastes. Flat rocky ground that once must have been a sea bed was now all dried up. Miles from the perceived 'shoreline' sat an abandoned hovel. _Perfect_ , Obi-Wan thought, disembarking from his eopie and beginning to unload his supplies. _Home sweet home: for the rest of my days..._

"Urrrrrrrrr! Ur, ur, Urrrrrrrrrr!" A band of Tusken Raiders suddenly appeared out of nowhere and moved to attack. Obi-Wan must have wandered onto their land. The Jedi ignited his lightsaber. No intelligent life-forms were out this far, so he was in no danger of being seen.

His blue blade whirled. He killed one Raider, then another. The rest he hacked off their clothes, revealing their nakedness - viewed as a sin punishable by banishment amongst the Tuskens. Shrieking and howling, the Tusken Raiders fled into the sandy wilderness. Little did Obi-Wan know that in years to come, he would become a legend amongst the Sand People.

He wondered if the Tuskens were aware that a Jedi was a rare find these days. Brushing the curious thought aside, he proceeded to furnish the hovel he had stumbled upon. It had some decent amenities to start with: running water, air vaparators. Even some old power converters for minor electricity. A chest in which to store his belongings. In the latter, Obi-Wan kept his lightsaber, as well as Anakin's. A manual he rescued from the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, detailing how to build a lightsaber. He had a feeling a certain someone would need it later. Also, he kept a journal, the pages of which would soon be filled of his experiences on the desert, Outer Rim planet.

Hours later, Obi Wan looked around his newly furnished home and sighed. It definitely was not what he was used to. Heck this whole planet - what a dump of a place it was! But perhaps living out his life here would humble him.

Life. He was _alive_. Obi-Wan knew he should consider himself lucky, considering how many were dead.

Plo Koon. Kit Fisto. Sassee Tinn. Mace Windu. _Gone_.

Cin Drallig. Adi Gallia. Stass Allie. Depa Bilaga. _Gone_.

And the Jedi whom he had raised as a son and loved as a brother: Anakin Skywalker. The young man's wife, Padme. The pair were married - had to have been! _Gone_.

 _Gone_. The words echoed like a toll in his head.  Gone. **Gone**. _Gone_.

And as far as he was aware, Obi-Wan knew of only four other souls who could share his pain, spread out now all across the galaxy.

The Jedi sat down on the small rug he had purchased in Mos Eisley. He began to meditate. _Master? Master Qui-Gon, are you there? Answer me!_

Nothing. It would be a while before Obi-Wan received a response.


	4. Chapter 4: Exile - Dagobah

**Chapter 4: Exile - Dagobah**

Grand Jedi Master Yoda steered his escape pod into the lush, green, foggy atmosphere of Dagobah. With the help of the Force, and activating the rocket boosters, he touched down gently on what he judged to be a dry piece of land.

The escape pod opened with a hiss, and Yoda plodded down the exit ramp, his cane preceding ever step of his green webbed feet.

He had landed on the edge of a swamp. The gooey earth was shrouded in mist. Calls from wild animals cackled and cawwed in the distance.

 _Spooky, this place is_ , Yoda thought. _Yet, no other place for me, there is_.

The swamp itself had a rather wide perimeter, and it took Yoda an hour or so to wander around the circumference of it before he found earth that did not automatically sink under his feet.

 _A good bit of earth, this is. My home, I will build here._

Gathering lumps of clay and mud from the ground about him, Yoda slowly but surely began to construct his final residence. The walls came first, then windows carefully carved within them. With the help of the Force, he could levitate himself long enough to construct the mud hut's roof. Any materials the Jedi Master used were reinforced with layer upon layer of peat. When he ran out of this precious substance, Yoda would light small fires to harden the mud into something that resembled clay.

The process took many days, weeks. But finally, Yoda looked around, and found what he created to be very good.

And now... to rest. And wait. The little green alien meditated on the floor of his abode. From the netherworld of the Force, he received a connection almost immediately.

 _Master Qui-Gon Jinn! Too long, it has been._

 _Patience,_ the deceased Jedi replied. _You will have the time I did not. Study the Force in all its aspects. Learn the Secret Order of the Whills and you will become one with the Force when your time comes. But that time is not yet. Not yet._

 _Strong, you are in the Force, Qui-Gon_ , Yoda mused. _Your apprentice, I gratefully become._

He smiled as he felt the ghost of the Jedi Master's approval. Yoda was ready to begin. After nearly 900 years, he was ready to take the first step on his final journey as a Jedi. He had one last master to learn from. And one last pupil to teach.

Though it would be many years before the pupil would find the Grand Master...


	5. Chapter 5: Exile - Alderaan

**Chapter 5: Exile - Alderaan**

The chirping of the birds pulled Jedi Padawn Ahsoka Tano out of sleep. Rising from her simple bed, she stepped out of the mound of earth that blended into the meadowy grass stretching out around her as far as the eye could see.

Well, almost. In the distance, she could see the towering skyscrapers of Alderaan. At least she was somewhat close to civilized civilization. Poor Obi-Wan and Yoda could not say the same. She had heard enough horror stories about Tatooine from Anakin. And Dagobah sounded even worse.

Ahsoka began her day the same way she had every day for the past several months. She checked on her plants. Yes, it was only a cover story, and as such, the greenhouse Bail Organa had helped her to build did seem a little excessive. But, Ahsoka had to admit - plants were actually extremely interesting. She grew them, watered them, studied them, and kept detailed recordings of their features in her diary. Who knew? Perhaps it would be valuable someday. Besides, she had a separate journal recording her double life as an exiled Jedi - her memories, her regrets. A lot of the entires mourned Anakin, of letting him down.

Ahsoka embarked on the only thing she could do as an exiled Jedi - she now fitted her binoculars to her face. Turning the dials to zoom in, she finally focused on a little girl with tufts of flowing black hair on the top of her head. A handmaiden to the Alderaanian Queen rolled a ball across the stone plaza. The baby crawled after it. Was it just Ahsoka's imagination, or could she feel the baby slow down the ball with the Force without touching it?

She smiled softly to herself, the way a mother would look upon their daughter. There were worst final missions to be assigned to. Just as Obi-Wan Kenobi would watch Luke from afar, she would be here if Leia needed her. The future Princess would never know her, but she would always be there. She would only know the former Jedi as Ashla Fulcrum - a botanist.

And that was the name that the rest of Alderaan would know her by as well. The name she would respond to.

Until one day several years later... out in the Meadow...

* * *

"Ahsoka? Ahsoka Tano?" The young man called to her from just in the distance across the meadow.

Ahsoka tackled him to the ground, the lightsaber she now rarely used at his throat, concealed by the tall grass.

"Who are you? And how do you know that name?" she growled.

As she gazed into the young man's blue eyes, she realized: he seemed vaguely familiar. She backed off of him, and a smile came over her face. "Lux? Lux Bonteri?"

"The one and only," Lux smiled.

She could not help it. Ahsoka hugged him. "It's good to see you. Come inside." She beckoned him to her grassy hovel.

Ahsoka told Lux everything: how she had left the Order, only to watch a fellow Jedi be killed on Raada and barely escaping with her own life. For his part, Lux explained how he had left both the Separatist and Republic sides after Count Dooku murdered his mother. "Anakin Skywalker did me a great favor, when he killed that goddamn Sith. But now, the Empire... That is what the Separatists paved the way for, Ahsoka. I should have realized the Republic was not the enemy. I'm so sorry!"

Ahsoka patted his hand. "The important thing is that you seek redemption for yourself."

"And I hope to find it here - refugee or not! But with Bail Organa fighting for us in what's left of the Senate, this planet's probably one of the safest in the galaxy at the moment!"

 _Not to mention it has an exiled Jedi stationed here_ , Ahsoka thought of - and to - herself. "Now what will you do?" she asked.

Lux grinned sheepishly. "Well, I was hoping... maybe I could stay with you?"

Ahsoka smiled warmly. In these dark times, she could use a friend. "Of course."

* * *

Months, then several more years passed. Ahsoka taught Lux everything she had come to learn about plants. He became as fascinated as she was, and proved himself to be a loyal research assistant. In her spare time, Ahsoka would always observe Leia from afar. Lux knew of this side mission, but did not ask questions, which the Jedi appreciated. The more you know, the more dangerous you are.

The pair rekindled their friendship and became quite close, living together in Ahsoka's meadow hut.

One night, over a small fire after dinner, Ahsoka felt Lux's eyes on her. She smiled. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just... you look beautiful in firelight. It glows off your skin."

Ahsoka fidgeted, blushing. "Thank you."

Then:

"Do you remember when I kissed you on Carlac?"

Ahsoka burst out laughing. "How could I forget?"

"Well, neither have I." He paused. "I've always carried a torch for you, Ahsoka."

The Jedi could feel him now sitting beside her. Before she could stop him, he had turned her face to him and kissed her lips. After a moment, Ahsoka drew back.

"Lux..." she sighed. "I can't. Jedi aren't allowed to marry; have attachments."

"What Jedi? Ahsoka, the Jedi Order is _dead_! Why adhere to the rules of an organization that no longer exists? Don't you want something to build again? A legacy to leave behind? A family?" Lux took her hand. "I can give you that."

Ahsoka sighed. She made her decision. "Come here." When he didn't catch her meaning, Ahsoka pulled Lux to her and kissed him in return. With this kiss, she cast aside part of the Jedi Code.

Lux swept Ahsoka off her feet and carried her to bed. As soon as they were on the meager cot, Ahsoka pushed Lux onto his back and straddled him. Tenderly shedding her clothes, she kissed along his neck before moving to undress him.

She had never had sex before. Jedi were forbidden to. But with Lux... and her new circumstances...

Both now naked, Lux flipped Ahsoka so she lay beneath. The Jedi gulped nervously. Then she gasped, choking on air as she felt Lux sheath himself inside her. Lux began to move his hips in rhythm. Ahsoka arched upwards to copy him. Their thrusts worked in tandem, creating a sort of conversation, a dance.

"Lux..." Ashoka croaked. "Harder... faster... Now... right now..."

Lux finally moaned like no one she had ever heard as he shuddered against her. Flopping on top of her, he moved no more. He had cum within her.

Ashoka flicked her pelvis upward until she, too, orgasmed. Former Jedi and former Separatist lay together, a mess of naked and sweaty limbs.

* * *

Over time, Ahsoka and Lux fell more deeply in love. When the young man asked the Togruta to marry him, she accepted. On one condition: their wedding be observed using the customs of their people.

This custom involved stoking a fire, and burning a loaf of bread over the flames. The intended spouses then shared the bread together before sealing it with a kiss.

Lux blinked as he and Ashoka broke apart; he could taste crumbs on her lips. "That's it?"

Ashoka beamed against the flames. "We're married."

Husband and wife kissed again.

* * *

Still more years passed. Ashoka was now a young woman. And so was her charge, Princess Leia Organa.

The Empire was expanding its reign over the galaxy. Alderaan would be next, and high on Vader's list of systems to conquer.

But, as Lux explained to his wife one day coming in from the fields, he knew a way to possibly put a stop to that.

"Senator Organa is arranging a meeting of people who want to start a Rebellion. The gathering is meeting on Coreilla. Leia will be with them."

Ashoka rose from the bed they shared, where she had been recording in her diary. "Lux, won't it be dangerous?"

"See what I mean? Perfect!" her husband grinned infectiously. Her took her hand. "Come with me! Think of the morale a former Jedi could give!"

"Or the danger she could pose! I would be a blaring alarm through the Force, leading Vader right to us!"

"But what about Leia?"

"Keep an eye on her at the meeting! I trust you with her; I've only told you everything you absolutely have to know!"

Lux frowned. "It just won't be the same without you."

Ashoka sighed. "Oh, Lux... I'm afraid."

Lux smiled tenderly, taking her in his arms. "Have faith, my love. Everything will soon be set right. It's about time it was. Wait for me until I return. Things will be different, I promise." He kissed her, long and lingering, and Ashoka moaned sensuously into his mouth. "Please. Please wait for me."

"I will," she sighed, and hugged him, resting her head on his chest with a smile. Lux kissed his wife goodbye one last time, and he left.

* * *

Ashoka waited and waited. But when Senator Organa returned with Leia to Alderaan, Lux was not with them. The Jedi began to fear for her husband. Had something gone wrong at the treaty signing?

Then, one night, the Force awoke her in her half-empty bed with a scream. She felt her husband's life ripped from the world, become one with the Force.

At the hands of Darth Vader.

Ashoka only mourned briefly. For when Bail Organa recruited her into the Rebel Alliance, she jumped at the chance. She would fight against the Sith, as a Jedi once again. She would do that to honor her fallen husband.

She would become... Fulcrum.

* * *

 **A/N: I gave Ashoka the job that fell to Ferus Olin in _Legends_. He was such a great character - too bad he was not absorbed into Canon. But now, Anakin's Master is watching over the son, and Anakin's Padawan is looking after the daughter! **


	6. Chapter 6: Exile - Stygeon Prime

**Chapter 6: Exile - Stygeon Prime**

Luminara Unduli and Kanan Jarrus. Exiled Jedi Master and Padawan. For two wanted warriors on the run, Stygeon Prime seemed to be the perfect place to hide.

The planet was a cold, mountainous world; only one hospitable city occupied the planet's far side. Upon their escape pod crash-landing in the hinterlands of one of the mountains, Luminara and Kanan traveled on foot to the city of Ongrabah, disappearing into its lower levels. Wherever they went, they posed as aunt and nephew, renting out rooms here and there. During the days, Kanan took up work as a freighter pilot, now using a blaster as his weapon of choice. His Master, meanwhile, worked at one of the seedier bars in Ongrabah, picking up the latest gossip. The Empire was sweeping system to system and would soon reach the Outer Rim soon.

On days off from work, the exiled Jedi would sneak into the high peaks of the mountains, where even the clouds concealed them, and Luminara would continue Kanan's training.

Several years passed and soon, Kanan turned into a fine young man of 23. His nine years with Luminara had taught him much, and he held her in the deepest regard. One evening, the two entered a bar for a few drinks... and to eavesdrop. The gossip here was the most trustworthy news you could get on this planet, since many other outlets and holo-papers featured Empire propaganda.

Vader's forces had begun an assault on Stygeon Prime. There was little doubt that the Empire would soon overrun and occupy the planet. Indeed, it was rumored that some storm trooper battalions were landing in the mountains right now.

"Master, what happens if Vader does capture the planet?" Kanan asked. "Do we stay and help the locals fight? Or do we flee to another system?"

"The Force works in mysterious ways. I sense that our place will remain here. Wherever the Jedi are needed, we will be there - but only if it is necessary to reveal ourselves. Trust in the living Force to guide you on the right path, my young Padawan."

Kanan nodded. "Yes, Master."

Just then, a group of white-helmeted robots entered the bar. Storm troopers! So the Imperials had begun to infiltrate the planet. Even from far off, Luminara could see one of them showing the proprietor a holo-disk with an image on it. She gasped. It was an image of her!

Luminara lowered her head. "Go," she growled to her apprentice.

"Master...?"

"Go!" Kanan scrambled from the bar and headed for the back kitchens. Luminara followed through the crowd. When they reached the kitchens, Luminara proceeded to stuff her Padawan into the trash chute.

"This will take you outside. On your next piloting rounds, drop off any passengers you need. Then: don't come back. Keep going until you crash on a planet or run out of gas!"

"But, Master -"

"Kanan: do as I say! You have been a loyal apprentice and kept meaning in my life as a Jedi. Remember all I've taught you. The Force will protect you!" She closed the trash chute.

However, Kanan held on and listened through the metal door. At the front end of the kitchens, the stormtroopers had found Luminara.

"Hey, you! Stop!"

POW! POW! PING! PING! Luminara was likely blocking blaster bolts with her lightsabers. And then, everything went still.

"Take her to the Spire!" a stormtrooper ordered.

Kanan shook. The Spire was one of the most notorious maximum security prisons in the galaxy, and it was right here on Stygeon Prime! He couldn't stay any longer. He let go, and tumbled down the chute, landing outside in the bar's back alley. He ran.

That very night, Kanan clocked into the freighter service where he worked even though it was not his shift. Picking up some passengers, he ferried them over to a planet all the way in the next system. Then, like Luminara said, he did not return to his place of employment. Disabling the tracking device, he kept going. When the ship finally ran out of gas, it was pulled into the orbit of the planet Gorse and crash-landed there.

Selling the ship, a destitute Kanan met Janus Kasmir, a smuggler. As fate would have it, the space pirate originally hailed from Kaller, the planet where Kanan had lost his first Jedi Master. Janus taught Kanan the tricks of his trade, and even set him up with more employment as a freighter pilot with the company Moonglow-72.

In a tiny, locked safe he kept in his rucksack, Kanan stored his lightsaber and a Jedi Holocron Depa Billaba had given him. He would keep both hidden for years, abandoning the Jedi way.

Little did Kanan know that one day, he would be asked to take up his Jedi heritage again.


End file.
